


Knights

by ClockworkDinosaur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Not Really Character Death, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, sorta angsty but not really, these kids say a lot of swear words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7711060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDinosaur/pseuds/ClockworkDinosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat is given the chance to ascend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knights

**Author's Note:**

> This is a generic-ass Davekat fic with a premise that I'm sure has been done to death but I am absolute garbage and will not be stopped.  
> Also I'm still trying to get the hang of writing Homestuck fics so constructive criticism is welcome! c:

“I'm not letting you do it,” Karkat said, his arms crossed while he sat on the edge of the stone slab with a bleeding gash carved into it.

Dave, his eyes unreadable underneath his glasses but the usually stoic line of his mouth wavering a bit, shook his head. The sword was heavy in his hand, the handle somewhat slippery with sweat as he gripped it by his side. He couldn't seem to stop his hands from shaking.

“Listen dude, I was put in pretty much this exact same situation before. It's shitty as hell and I couldn't even...” he swallowed as his voice cracked. “I don't want you to have to do it, okay?”

“You know it's all going to turn out okay, right? I'm only going to be dead for, what, a minute? It's not that big of a d-”

“I know!” Dave said, his voice raised. He sighed. “I know. But still, if I had the choice, I'd like someone else to kill me.” He paused. “I mean, I didn't want to kill myself that one time, who was actually technically a separate person because multiple time-line bullshit, and I mean I _didn't_ kill him-slash-me anyway, but being in that situation-”

“Jegus, Dave,” Karkat said, exasperated. “I might actually kill myself right now just so you'll shut up.”

“That's not funny,” Dave said.

“Fuck you, I'm hilarious. Laugh at my jokes dammit, I'm literally on my death bed and you can't even muster up a single chuckle? Where's your famous sense of humor, Strider?”

“Stop it,” Dave said. “This isn't- I'm-” he stuttered, his breath hitching. Karkat's expression turned to one of horror.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Don't you dare start crying, you asshole.”

“You're saying that like I can help it,” Dave gasped. “I'm going to be completely fucking real right now, I'm terrified. What if- what if it doesn't work? What if Roxy fucked up bringing the quest-bed from the void or whatever? The game's been over for a year now, what if ascending just doesn't work anymore?” He took a deep breath, taking off his sunglasses and wiping his eyes. “Shit, I'm acting like I'm the one getting stabbed here.”

“If anyone's freakishly red blood is getting on this rock, it's mine,” Karkat said. Dave shook his head, jaw tightening.

“Okay, I'm done joking.” Karkat assured him. “If you're afraid this won't work, why does it matter who kills me then?”

“It doesn't, I guess.” Dave shrugged. “Maybe I'm stalling. Maybe I offered because that means I'm holding the sword so you can't use it.”

Karkat glared. “You clever nubfucker.”

“I'm... I'm afraid of losing you, okay?” Dave ran a hand through his hair. “I know how fucking cliche that is to say but goddamn, I don't want to go through the rest of eternity knowing my boyfriend died only a year after the creation of the universe in the most fucking useless way possible.”

Karkat stared, wide-eyed. “Alright, Strider. If we're being completely honest with each other right now, I'm afraid too. You don't think I'm terrified of bleeding to death and not going god-tier? How fucking pointless would that be? I don't want to leave you. If I had it my way, you'd be stuck with me until the universe implodes or whatever. That's why I want to try this. I'm not going to live forever like this, Dave. You _are._ ”

Dave was still. “Well shit.”

“You started the emotion vomit, I just went with it, okay?” Karkat crossed his arms, standing and stepping up to Dave. “Listen, even if things turn out to be fucked, you could always ask Jane to revive me, right?”

Dave sighed. “Yeah, of course. I just hate seeing you die, is that so damn weird? And what if it ends up not working, what then? I get to watch you die of old age later on too?”

“It's not weird, but it's annoying as fuck that you aren't even giving it a chance when there's absolutely no consequence in the end,” Karkat pointed out.

“I can't believe you just called me annoying while we discuss your actual death,” said Dave with a glare. Karkat shrugged, taking a step closer.

“Listen, everything will be fine, okay? Trust me. I'm not going to leave your sorry ass alone to whine for all of eternity.” He wrapped his arms around Dave, nuzzling into his neck. Dave shivered as Karkat's breath caressed his skin. He melted into Karkat, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Now is not the time, dammit,” Dave said breathlessly.

“I know,” Karkat said, and before Dave could react, Karkat bumped Dave's arm, the sword slipping from his loose grip. Karkat grabbed it before Dave even realized what happened.

“Fuck you!” Dave said, his eyes wide and his heart pounding. “That was fucked up and you know it.”

“We were going to stand here and argue for days unless one of us did something, you stubborn fuck.” Karkat grinned. “That's why I love you.”

Dave lunged for Karkat as the troll turned the blade to himself. He thrust it into his own chest with a decidedly smug expression, falling backwards onto the stone slab.

Dave froze, stomach churning as bright red blood pooled around Karkat. His gray face was pale and he was still. Dave felt like he was going to collapse. He watched Karkat for a sign, for movement, for a tell-tale glow, for _anything_.

Nothing happened.

“Fuck, please, _please_ get up, fucking do something you useless slab of rock,” Dave muttered to himself, taking a shaking step towards Karkat's lifeless body.

Dave felt every second tick by like a hammer-blow to the chest. Karkat's blood, so much like his own, dripped from the sides of the stone, each drip a gunshot in Dave's mind. Dave's stomach rolled and he sank to the ground, lightheaded.

Dave opened his mouth to call for Jane, but despair kept his voice from going over a whisper.

Light flickered around the sword in Karkat's chest. The weapon fell aside as Karkat rose, the light too blinding for Dave to look at. Dave hardly breathed.

The light subsided a moment later and Karkat groaned.

“Wow, being stabbed fucking _sucks,_ ” he said quietly. Dave was on him in an instant, hands grabbing desperately as he clung to Karkat with breathless sobs and laughter.

“Fuck you, asshole. Never put me through anything like that again or I swear that I will give you a just death with my brother's lame-ass sword. I will stab you so hard Kankri will wonder how the fuck he's having a heart attack,” Dave threatened, though it was undermined slightly by the fact that he was hugging Karkat for dear life, sobs interrupting his words every few seconds. Karkat grinned.

“I was only dead for a minute, you insufferable-” Karkat started, before being quickly cut off by Dave's lips on his own.

“Now that you've started talking I've kinda realized that I was enjoying the silence of you having a sword through your torso,” Dave joked after a minute. “You don't complain as much when you're dead.”

“Trust me, my ghost was complaining the whole damn time I was waiting to revive.”

Dave's hands were on Karkat's face, his red eyes boring into Karkat's as Karkat stared back.

“I love you, holy shit,” Dave whispered.

“You sound surprised,” Karkat said, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, how could you not-”

“Stop talking for a minute, because I've been having too many strong emotions in a short amount of time and I really don't want to start bawling like a fucking baby,” Dave said. “I'm just... fuck, man. I was watching you bleed all over the damn place and you were dead, like really actually dead, and there was a chance you were dead _forever_ and I couldn't even get help or anything, I just sat on the floor like a useless asshole. A useless, terrified asshole. Couldn't even call Jane to revive your sorry ass and I wasn't even sure if that would fucking work.” Dave took a deep breath.

“Dave, I'm fine. Everything is clearly okay, see?” Karkat lifted the end of his god-tier cape. “I'm a god-tier, fully-powered Knight of Blood, which is probably just as badass as it sounds. You really are stuck with me for all of fucking eternity.”

Dave nodded. “I know, and I'm thrilled. But Jesus _Christ_ that was the most terrifying minute I've ever experienced in my entire fucking life, and probably will ever experience ever.”

“Trust me, I will do something super fucked up and terrify you again,” Karkat said.

Dave snorted, unable to help himself. He snuggled close to Karkat, eyes closed, soaking up Karkat's presence.

“Fuck you, Vantas.”

“Yeah, love you too.”

 


End file.
